Printed electrode catheter

ABSTRACT

An elongate medical device may comprise an elongate tubular body, an electrode, and a trace. The elongate tubular body may comprise a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, the body defining a longitudinal axis. The electrode may comprise electrically-conductive ink extending circumferentially about a portion of the distal end portion. The trace may comprise electrically-conductive ink, electrically coupled with the electrode, extending proximally from the electrode.

BACKGROUND

a. Field of the Disclosure

The instant disclosure relates to elongate medical devices, includingthe electrical infrastructure for elongate medical devices.

b. Background Art

Electrophysiology catheters are used for an ever-growing number ofprocedures. For example, electrophysiology catheters are used fordiagnostic, therapeutic, and ablative procedures, to name just a fewexamples. Typically, the catheter is manipulated through the patient'svasculature and to the intended site, for example, a site within thepatient's heart. The catheter typically carries one or more sensors,such as electrodes, which may be used for ablation, electrophysiologymapping, and the like.

A portion of an exemplary electrophysiology catheter 10 manufacturedaccording to known methods is shown in cross-section in FIG. 1. Thecatheter 10 includes an elongate tubular body 12 defining a longitudinalaxis A and an interior lumen 14, a tip electrode 16, and a number ofring electrodes 18 a, 18 b, 18 c. The catheter 10 may also includenumerous other features (not illustrated), such as one or more pullwires coupled with the body, such as through one or more pull rings, tosteer the catheter 10, one or more fluid ports and lumens, and otherknown features. The body 12 may be made of a thermoplastic elastomer oranother suitable material, such as Pebax™, Teflon™, or Kapton™. The ringelectrodes 18 may be embedded in the body 12 during melt processing ofthe body 12 or through other known manufacturing steps or methods. Thetip electrode 16 and the ring electrodes 18 may be electrically coupledwith leads 20 extending to a proximal end of the catheter (not shown)for coupling with a mapping and navigation system, ablation generator,or other electrical system, for example. The leads 20 may extendlongitudinally through the interior lumen 14 of the body, as shown inFIG. 1, or may extend through the wall of the body 12.

The foregoing discussion is intended only to illustrate the presentfield and should not be taken as a disavowal of claim scope.

BRIEF SUMMARY

An embodiment of an elongate medical device may comprise an elongatetubular body, an electrode, and a trace. The elongate tubular body maycomprise a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, the bodydefining a longitudinal axis. The electrode may compriseelectrically-conductive ink extending circumferentially about a portionof the distal end portion. The trace may compriseelectrically-conductive ink, electrically coupled with the electrode,extending proximally from the electrode.

Another embodiment of an elongate medical device may comprise anelongate tubular body comprising a distal end portion and a proximal endportion, the body defining a longitudinal axis, a first electrode, and afirst trace. The first electrode may comprise electrically-conductiveink extending circumferentially about a first portion of the tubularbody. The first trace may comprise electrically-conductive ink,electrically coupled with the first electrode, extending proximally fromthe first electrode. An electrically insulating layer may be radiallyinward of the first electrode and the first trace. The elongate medicaldevice may further comprise a second electrode and a second trace. Thesecond electrode may comprise electrically-conductive ink extendingcircumferentially about a second portion of the tubular body. The secondtrace may comprise electrically-conductive ink, electrically coupledwith the second electrode, extending proximally from the secondelectrode. At least a portion of the second trace may be disposedradially inward of the electrically insulating layer.

Another embodiment of an elongate medical device may comprise anelongate tubular body comprising a distal end portion and a proximal endportion, the body defining a longitudinal axis, an electrode, a trace,and a force sensor. The electrode may comprise electrically-conductiveink extending circumferentially about a portion of the tubular body. Thetrace may comprise electrically-conductive ink, electrically coupledwith the electrode, extending proximally from the electrode. The forcesensor may comprise a semiconducting layer radially between a firstelectrically-conductive layer and a second electrically-conductivelayer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a portion of acatheter constructed according to known methods.

FIG. 2A is a plan view of an embodiment of a portion of a catheterincluding electrodes and traces comprising printed ink.

FIG. 2B is a plan view of the catheter of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A is a partial cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a portionof a catheter including electrodes and traces comprising printed ink.

FIG. 3B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an electricalinfrastructure portion that may be used to construct the catheter ofFIG. 3A.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are orthogonal plan views of an embodiment of a portionof a catheter including electrodes, traces, and contact sensorscomprising printed ink.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a contact sensorcomprising printed ink that may be included in the catheter of FIGS. 4Aand 4B.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an exemplary contact sensing circuit.

FIG. 7A is an isometric view of an embodiment of a portion of a catheterincluding electrodes and traces comprising printed ink in a first stageof construction.

FIG. 7B is an isometric view of an electrode and a portion of a trace ofthe catheter portion of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 7C is a side view of the electrode of FIG. 7B.

FIG. 7D is a cross-sectional view of the electrode of FIG. 7B.

FIG. 7E is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of theelectrode of FIGS. 7B-7D.

FIG. 7F is an isometric view of the catheter portion of FIG. 7A in asecond stage of construction.

FIGS. 8A-8D are isometric views of an embodiment of a portion of acatheter including electrodes and traces comprising printed ink invarious stages of construction.

FIG. 9A is an isometric view of an embodiment of a portion of a catheterincluding electrodes and traces comprising printed ink in a first stageof construction.

FIG. 9B is an isometric view of an electrode and a portion of a trace ofthe catheter portion of FIG. 9A.

FIG. 9C is an isometric view of the catheter portion of FIG. 9A in asecond stage of construction.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are isometric views of an embodiment of a portion of acatheter including electrodes and traces comprising printed ink in firstand second stages of construction, respectively.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a medical device mapping and navigationsystem.

FIGS. 12A-12D are diagrammatic views of exemplary dipoles created usingthe mapping and navigation system of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments are described herein to various apparatuses,systems, and/or methods. Numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a thorough understanding of the overall structure, function,manufacture, and use of the embodiments as described in thespecification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It will beunderstood by those skilled in the art, however, that the embodimentsmay be practiced without such specific details. In other instances,well-known operations, components, and elements have not been describedin detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described in thespecification. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand thatthe embodiments described and illustrated herein are non-limitingexamples, and thus it can be appreciated that the specific structuraland functional details disclosed herein may be representative and do notnecessarily limit the scope of the embodiments, the scope of which isdefined solely by the appended claims.

Reference throughout the specification to “various embodiments,” “someembodiments,” “one embodiment,” or “an embodiment”, or the like, meansthat a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described inconnection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment.Thus, appearances of the phrases “in various embodiments,” “in someembodiments,” “in one embodiment,” or “in an embodiment”, or the like,in places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referringto the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features,structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more embodiments. Thus, the particular features, structures, orcharacteristics illustrated or described in connection with oneembodiment may be combined, in whole or in part, with the featuresstructures, or characteristics of one or more other embodiments withoutlimitation given that such combination is not illogical ornon-functional.

It will be appreciated that the terms “proximal” and “distal” may beused throughout the specification with reference to a clinicianmanipulating one end of an instrument used to treat a patient. The term“proximal” refers to the portion of the instrument closest to theclinician and the term “distal” refers to the portion located furthestfrom the clinician. It will be further appreciated that for concisenessand clarity, spatial terms such as “vertical,” “horizontal,” “up,” and“down” may be used herein with respect to the illustrated embodiments.However, surgical instruments may be used in many orientations andpositions, and these terms are not intended to be limiting and absolute.

The manufacture of electrophysiology catheters according to knownmethods, such as the catheter 10 shown in FIG. 1, presents certaindifficulties. For example, the large number of wires (e.g., pull wiresand electrical leads for numerous electrodes) and potential for breakageof any of those wires may result in difficulty routing the wires throughthe numerous internal features of the catheter and handling of thosewires during manufacturing. Therefore, according to at least oneembodiment, a method for simplifying the construction and manufacturingof the catheter includes replacing known electrodes and leads withelectrodes and leads comprising conductive ink printed directly on oneor more layers of the catheter body.

Referring again to the Figures, in which like reference numerals referto the same or similar features in the various views, FIG. 2A is a planview of an embodiment of a portion of an elongate medical device 24. Themedical device 24, like all ell elongate medical devices shown anddescribed herein, may be a catheter, introducer, or other elongatemedical device type. The elongate medical device 24, like all elongatemedical devices shown and described herein, will be referred to as acatheter for ease of description (i.e., catheter 24). It should beunderstood, though, that the elongate medical device 24, like allelongate medical devices described herein, is not limited to a catheter.

The catheter 24 may include an elongate tubular body 26 defining an axisB and having a distal end portion 28 and a proximal end portion 30, atip electrode 32, a number of ring electrodes 34 a, 34 b, 34 c, a numberof electrically-conductive traces 36, and a number of masks 38. Thetraces 36 may each be electrically coupled to a respective one of thetip electrode 32 and the ring electrodes 34 for electrically connectingthe respective electrode 32, 34 to, for example, a mapping andnavigation system, an ablation generator, and/or another knownelectrical system. Though not shown, the traces 36 may be radiallycovered by an outer layer of the body, in an embodiment.

Each of the ring electrodes 34 may extend about the entire circumferenceof the body 26, in an embodiment. In other embodiments, one or more ofthe ring electrodes 34 may extend about only a portion of thecircumference of the body 26. Each of the traces 36 may extendproximally from a respective one of the electrodes 32, 34 over thelongitudinal length of the body 26. At the proximal tip of the body (notshown), each of the traces 36 may be electrically coupled with a leadextending through a handle that is coupled with the body 26.

The tip electrode 32 may comprise a unitary metal element coupled withthe body, in an embodiment. In other embodiments, the tip electrode 32may comprise printed ink, like the ring electrodes 34, as describedbelow.

The ring electrodes 34 and traces 36 may compriseelectrically-conductive printed ink, in an embodiment. Like all printedink elements shown and/or described herein, the ring electrodes 34 andtraces 36 may be deposited or printed directly on the body 26, in anembodiment, according to an ink printing or deposition process, such asaerosol jet deposition, for example. The ring electrodes 34 and traces36 may comprise the same materials (i.e., the same types of ink), in anembodiment. In other embodiments, the ring electrodes 34 and traces 36may comprise different materials (i.e., different types of ink).Different inks may be used because different properties may be desirableand/or permissible for the ring electrodes 34 and the traces 36. Forexample, it may be desirable for the traces 36 to be more flexible tobend as the body 26 bends, while relatively stiffer ring electrodes 34may be acceptable. In addition, it may be desirable for the ringelectrodes 34 to have low impedance for more accurate electricalmeasurements, while relatively higher impedance traces 36 may beacceptable. Accordingly, a relatively rigid, low impedance metallic inkmay be used for the ring electrodes 34 and a more flexible ink such asone comprising nanotubes or graphene, for example, may be used for thetraces 36.

The masks 38 may be provided for extending the traces 36 past ringelectrodes 34 without electrically coupling a ring electrode 34 with atrace 36 that is coupled with a more distal electrode. For example,three separate masks 38 may prevent the trace 36 that is electricallycoupled with the tip electrode 32 from being electrically coupled withthe first, second, and third ring electrodes 34 a, 34 b, 34 c,respectively.

FIG. 2B is a plan view of catheter 24. In addition to the elementsdescribed in conjunction with FIG. 2A, the catheter 24 may include ahandle assembly or handle 164 coupled with the catheter body 26 and oneor more electromechanical connectors 166 configured to allow thecatheter 24, and the electrodes 32, 34 thereof, in particular, to becoupled with components or subsystems of, for example, anelectrophysiology (EP) laboratory system. Such components or subsystemsmay comprise, for example and without limitation, a visualization,navigation, and/or mapping system, an EP monitoring and recording system(e.g., for monitoring and/or recording electrocardiograms (EGM), cardiacsignals, etc.), a tissue contact sensing system, an ablation system, acardiac stimulation system (i.e., EP stimulator), and the like. Anexemplary system is shown in U.S. patent application publication no.2012/0029504, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entiretyas though fully set forth herein.

The handle 164 may be disposed at the proximal end portion 30 of theshaft body portion 26. The handle 164 may provide a location for theclinician to hold the catheter 24 and may further provide means forsteering or guiding the shaft body 26 within the body of a patient.

The handle 164 may comprise a housing 168. The housing 168 may be of aunitary construction or may be constructed of a plurality of pieces thatare configured to be assembled together. In a multi-piece embodiment,the housing 168 may be coupled together in any number of ways known inthe art, such as, for example, by press fit or interference couplingtechniques, by complementary interlocking members, by conventionalfasteners or adhesives, or any other techniques known in the art.

In addition to the components described above, in an exemplaryembodiment, the catheter 24 may further comprise a deflection mechanism170 associated with the handle 164 of the catheter 24. The deflectionmechanism 170 may be coupled with a pull assembly (not shown) disposedat or in the distal end portion 28 of the shaft body 26. The combinationof the deflection mechanism 170 and the pull assembly provides a meansby which a user or physician can effect movement (e.g., deflection) ofthe distal end portion 28 in one or more directions, and therefore,allows the physician to steer the catheter 24.

FIG. 3A is a partial cross-sectional view of another embodiment of aportion of a catheter 42. The catheter 42 may comprise an elongatetubular body 44 defining an axis C and an interior lumen 46, a tipelectrode 32, a number of ring electrodes 34 a, 34 b, 34 c, and anelectrical connection 47 extending through the lumen 46. The ringelectrodes 34 may each be coupled with a respectiveelectrically-conductive trace, as will be described in conjunction withFIG. 3B. The body 44 may comprise an inner braid layer 48 and an outerpolymer layer 50. The outer polymer layer may comprise a distal segment52 and proximal segment 54. The inner braid layer 48, outer polymerlayer 50, and ring electrodes 34 are shown in cross-section.

The distal segment 52 and the proximal segment 54 of the outer polymerlayer 50 of the body 44 may comprise different materials, in anembodiment. The distal segment 52 may comprise Teflon™, for example, andthe proximal segment may comprise Pebax™, for example. Differentmaterials may be provided, in an embodiment, because deposition orprinting of the ring electrodes 34 and/or traces may require curing theprinted ink at a temperature that is higher than the melting point ofcertain melt-processing polymers. For example, traces coupled with thering electrodes 34 may comprise carbon nanotube (CNT) printed ink with acure temperature of about 150° Celcius (C). A polymer comprising theproximal segment 54, such as Pebax™, may have melting a temperature,such as about 130-174° C., that is lower than the temperature requiredfor curing the printed ink. Accordingly, the distal segment 52 maycomprise Teflon™, for example, which has a melting temperature of about320° C., or another suitable material which an acceptably high meltingpoint. In addition, the portions of the traces over the proximal segment54 may be laser sintered, rather than cured, in an embodiment, to avoidmelting the proximal segment 54. The distal segment 52 may be about sixcentimeters (6 cm) in length, in an embodiment. The length of the distalsegment 52 may be selected according to the desired length of theportion of the catheter 42 on which ring electrodes 34 are to bedisposed.

FIG. 3B is cross-sectional view of an exemplary electrode and traceinfrastructure which may be used, for example, to print the ringelectrodes 34 and traces of the catheter 42. The illustratedinfrastructure comprises the first ring electrode 34 a, the second ringelectrode 34 b, and first and second traces 56 a, 56 b electricallycoupled with the first and second ring electrodes 34 a, 34 b,respectively.

The infrastructure may include, in an embodiment, a radial layer foreach ring electrode and trace, each separated by anelectrically-insulating layer 58. Thus, in an embodiment, theelectrically-insulating layer 58 may be radially-inward of the secondelectrode 34 b and the second trace 56 b, and a portion of the firsttrace 56 a may be radially-inward of the electrically-insulating layer58. The ring electrodes 34 and traces 56 may compriseelectrically-conductive printed inks substantially as described above.The electrically-insulating layer 58 may comprise acrylic cured withultraviolet (UV) light (i.e., UV acrylic), in an embodiment, and/oranother suitable electrical insulator.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, in build-up, the electrodes 34, traces 56,and one or more electrically-insulating layers 58 may be deposited orprinted in an alternating sequence. For example, a first trace 56 a maybe deposited in a line along the length of the distal segment 52 of theouter polymer layer 50 of the catheter body 44. The first electrode 34 amay then be deposited about the circumference of the body 44, includingover a portion of the first trace 56 a, such that the first trace 56 aand the first electrode 34 a are electrically coupled. Next, a firstelectrically-insulating layer 58 may be deposited over at least aportion of the first trace 56 a (i.e., the portion of the first trace 56a not covered by the first electrode 34 a) along the length of thecatheter body 44 and, in an embodiment, about the circumference of thecatheter body 44. A second trace may 56 b then be deposited along thelength of the first electrically-insulating layer 58, then a secondelectrode 34 b about the circumference of the body 44, and so on for asmany ring electrodes 34 are desired. As a result, each of the ringelectrodes 34 may each extend about the entire circumference of thebody, if desired, and each ring electrode may be electrically coupled toan independent electrical trace 56.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are plan views of an embodiment of a catheter 62. Thecatheter 62 may comprise an elongate tubular body 64 defining alongitudinal axis D, a tip electrode 32, a number of ring electrodes 34,and a number of resistive or capacitive force sensors 66. For clarity ofillustration, not all electrodes 34 or force sensors 66 are designated.A distal end portion 68 of the body 64 (i.e., a portion including theelectrodes 32, 34 and force sensors 66) may be configured to curl aboutthe axis D to substantially form a circle about the axis D (FIG. 4Ashows the distal end portion 68 only, for clarity of illustration). Sucha circular configuration may be desired and used for particular mappingand ablation procedures, among other things. The ring electrodes 34 maycomprise printed ink, printed and/or deposited according to one or moremethods and/or configurations described herein.

One or more of the force sensors 66 may also comprise printed ink, in anembodiment. A force sensor 66 may comprise, in an embodiment, asemiconductive grid layered between separate conductive layers. FIG. 5is a cross-sectional view of a portion 72 of a force sensor 66, takentransverse to the length of the force sensor portion. The force sensorportion 72 may include the catheter body 64, a firstelectrically-conductive printed ink layer 74, a semiconductor printedink layer 76, a second electrically-conductive printed ink layer 78, andan external electrically-insulating printed ink layer 80.

The grid of the semiconductive layer 76 of the force sensor 66 mayinclude grid lines, with each line having a corresponding conductivegrid line on one or both of the conductive layers 74, 78. Each junctionpoint where a grid line from the first conductive layer 74 crosses agrid line from the second conductive layer 78 with a semiconductive gridline in between forms a piezoresistive force sensor. FIG. 5 illustratesone such junction 82. Application of external force to the junction 82changes the conductance of the junction 82. Each force sensor 66 shownin FIG. 4A may comprise a plurality of sensing junctions 82. In anembodiment, the plurality of sensing junctions 82 may be arranged in agrid, as noted above.

A plurality of force sensor junctions 82 may effectively form anelectrical circuit similar to that shown in FIG. 6. The force sensorjunctions 82 may be arranged in a plurality of rows (two are shown inFIG. 6) and columns (three are shown in FIG. 6). The rows and/or columnsof force sensor junctions 82 may be interrogated (i.e., have theirrespective resistances/conductances checked), or the sensor junctionsmay be interrogated individually by, for example, driving a test voltagethrough a single row and/or a single column at a time while groundingother rows and/or columns. Accordingly, by cycling through the rows andcolumns in a sequence, each force sensor junction 82 may be interrogatedindividually (either directly, or indirectly by mathematical combinationof row and column measurements) to assess the force at that junction 82.Detected forces may be displayed by a connected mapping and navigationsystem, for example, to inform a physician of what portions of thecatheter 62 are contacting the patient's body.

Force sensors 66 such as those illustrated in FIGS. 4A-6 may be used ina number of applications. For example, a plurality of force sensors 66may be disposed about the circular portion of a circular mappingcatheter, as shown in FIG. 4A. In another application, a plurality offorce sensors 66 may be disposed along the length of a sheath orintroducer to assess the position of the sheath or introducer relativeto a transseptal puncture. Of course, other applications are possible,as well. Accordingly, the features illustrated in FIGS. 4A-6 are notlimited to use in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4B.

FIG. 7A is an isometric view of an embodiment of a catheter 86 in afirst stage of construction. The catheter 86 may include an elongatetubular body 88 defining an axis E, a tip electrode 32, a number of ringelectrodes 90 a, 90 b, 90 c, and a number of electrically-conductivetraces 92 a, 92 b, 92 c. The second and third ring electrodes 90 b, 90 cdo not extend around the entire circumference of the body 88, butinstead include respective gaps 94 b, 94 c through which traces 92coupled with more distal electrodes 32, 92 extend.

FIG. 7A illustrates the catheter 86 after the tip electrode 32 has beencoupled with the catheter body 88 and the ring electrodes 90 and traces92 have been printed on a first layer 96 of the catheter body 88. Thebody first layer 96 may include one or more melt processing polymersand/or another appropriate material, such as Pebax™, Teflon™, orKapton™. The body first layer 96 may be constructed, in an embodiment,similarly to the catheter body in FIG. 3A (i.e., with a distal segmentof a first material and a proximal segment of a second material). Thebody 88 may also be constructed according to other methods known in theart, in embodiments. The ring electrodes 90 and traces 92 may compriseelectrically-conductive printed ink.

FIG. 7B is an isometric view of a first ring electrode 90 a and aportion of its trace 92 a. FIGS. 7C and 7D are plan views of the firstring electrode 92 a. FIG. 7E is an enlarged plan view of a portion ofthe first ring electrode 92 a. Referring to FIGS. 7B-7E, the first ringelectrode 92 a, like each ring electrode 92, may include a body portion98 and a plurality of longitudinally-extending ribs 100. In anembodiment, ribs 100 may additionally or alternatively extendcircumferentially and/or in another direction or pattern. Furthermore,in addition to or instead of ribs 100, different protrusions orstructures may be provided.

The ribs 100 (or other protrusions or patterns) may be provided toincrease the surface area of the electrode 92. When measuring theimpedance between the electrode 92 and a given point in an electrolyte(i.e., a patient's blood pool), the total impedance can be reduced byincreasing the surface area of the electrode 92. Lower impedance, inturn, may allow for more accurate measurements. Accordingly, byproviding ribs 100 on the electrode 92 a, impedance may be reduced, andmeasurement accuracy may be improved.

The ribs 100 may be printed, in an embodiment, using a relatively highviscosity ink or multiple layers of ink. The ribs 100 may comprise thesame material (i.e., the same ink) as the electrode body portion 98, inan embodiment. The ribs 100 may comprise a different material (i.e., adifferent ink) than the electrode body portion 98, in other embodiments.The ribs 100 may have a transverse (i.e., transverse to the axis E)height of about 1 thousandth of an inch (0.001 in) or less, in anembodiment, so as not to damage a patients' vasculature.

FIG. 7F is an isometric view of the catheter 86 in a second stage ofconstruction. Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7F, after the ring electrodes 90and traces 92 have been printed, a second layer 102 of the body 88 maybe printed. The second body layer 102 may cover (i.e., beradially-outward of) the traces 92. The second body layer 102 may alsocover portions of the first body layer 96 not covered by the ringelectrodes 92. In an embodiment, the second body layer 102 may comprisea dielectric ink.

FIGS. 8A-8D are isometric views of an embodiment of a catheter 106 invarious stages of construction. In a first stage, the result of which isshown in FIG. 8A, a first layer 96 of an elongate tubular body 88defining an axis F may be provided, a tip electrode 32 may be coupled toa distal end of the first layer 96, and electrical traces 108 a, 108 bmay be printed on the first layer 96. The body first layer 96 maycomprise Pebax™ or another melt-processing polymer or appropriatematerial as described herein. The traces 108 may compriseelectrically-conductive printed ink, in an embodiment.

In a second stage of construction, the result of which is shown in FIG.8B, a second body layer 102 may be printed over most of the traces 108,but for pass-through points 110 a, 110 b where electrodes will contactthe traces 108 a, 108 b. In an embodiment, the second body layer 102 maybe a dielectric printed ink.

In a third stage of construction, the result of which is shown in FIG.8C, electrodes 112 a, 112 b may be printed. The electrodes 112 maycomprise electrically-conductive printed ink. Each electrode 112 a, 112b may be printed so as to be electrically coupled with a respective oneof the traces 108 a, 108 b. In an embodiment, each electrode 112 a, 112b may be printed to cover (i.e., be radially-outward of) a respectivetrace pass-through 110 a, 110 b. The electrodes 112 may comprise thesame materials (i.e., the same electrically-conductive printed ink orinks) as the traces 108, in an embodiment.

In a fourth stage of construction, the result of which is shown in FIG.8D, the electrodes 112 may be electroplated with platinum, gold, oranother biologically-inert metal to create a metal outer electrode layer114 a, 114 b. The printed-ink layer 112 of the electrodes may be used toapply a negative charge to draw in the plating ions duringelectroplating.

The embodiment of FIGS. 8A-8D may be preferred because it may allow thesame materials (i.e., the same printed ink) to be used for the traces108 and for the electrodes 112, simplifying manufacturing. Because theelectroplated metal layer 114 may provide the low-impedance interfacedesirable for accurate measurements, the electrically-conductive inkused to print the electrodes 112 may be a more flexible,higher-impedance ink that may also be used to print the traces 108.

FIG. 9A is an isometric view of an embodiment of a catheter 118 in afirst stage of construction. FIG. 9B is an enlarged isometric view of anelectrode 120 and portion of a trace 122 of the catheter 118. Referringto FIGS. 9A and 9B, the catheter 118 may include an elongate tubularbody 88 defining an axis G, a tip electrode 32, a number of electrodes120 a, 120 b, and a number of traces 122 a, 122 b. One or more of theelectrodes 120 may not extend around the entire circumference of thebody 88, but may instead extend around separate respectivecircumferential portions of the body 88. In an embodiment, eachelectrode 120 may extend around about a quarter or a third of thecircumference of the body 88. In an embodiment, multiple electrodes 120may be arranged in a circumferential set at substantially the samelongitudinal position on the body 88. Although only a singlecircumferential set of electrodes 120 is illustrated in FIG. 9A,multiple such sets may be provided, in an embodiment. Such multiple sets(and the traces 122 electrically coupled with those sets) may bearranged (i.e., for traces of more distal electrodes 120 to extendlongitudinally past more proximal electrodes 120) according to, forexample only, one or more of the schemes shown in FIG. 3B (i.e., layeredradially), in FIG. 7A (i.e., with traces routed through electrode gaps),or in FIGS. 8A-8D (i.e., with the majority of the length of the tracescovered by an exterior layer).

FIG. 9A illustrates the catheter 118 after the tip electrode 32 has beencoupled with the catheter body 88 and the electrodes 120 and traces 122have been printed on a first layer 96 of the catheter body 88. The bodyfirst layer 96 may include one or more melt processing polymers, such asPebax™, and/or another known appropriate material, such as Teflon™ orKapton™. The body first layer 96 may be constructed, in an embodiment,similarly to the catheter body in FIG. 3A (i.e., with a distal segmentof a first material and a proximal segment of a second material). Theelectrodes 120 and traces 122 may comprise electrically-conductiveprinted ink substantially as described herein.

FIG. 9C is an isometric view of the catheter 118 in a second stage ofconstruction. Referring to FIGS. 9A and 9C, after the electrodes 120 andtraces 122 have been printed, a second body layer 102 may be printed.The second body layer 102 may cover (i.e., be radially-outward of) thetraces 122. The second body layer 102 may also cover portions of thefirst body layer 96 not covered by the electrodes 120. In an embodiment,the second body layer 102 may comprise a dielectric ink.

The catheter and electrode arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 9A-9C may bepreferred for directional position sensing—i.e., more localizedpositions of particular sides of the catheter. Such directional positionsensing may be advantageous, for example, in a remote catheter guidancesystem (RCGS), such as one based on robotic movement of one or moremedical devices. An exemplary embodiment of one such RCGS is shown inU.S. patent application publication no. 2009/0247993, which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety as though fully set forthherein.

FIG. 10A is an isometric view of an embodiment of a catheter 126 in afirst stage of construction. The catheter 126 may include an elongatetubular body 88 defining an axis H, a tip electrode 32, and a number ofelectrical traces 128 a, 128 b.

FIG. 10A illustrates the catheter 126 after the tip electrode 32 hasbeen coupled with the catheter body 88 and the traces 128 have beenprinted on a first layer 96 of the catheter body 88. The body firstlayer 96 may include one or more melt processing polymers and/or anotherknown appropriate material, such as Pebax™, Teflon™, or Kapton™. Thebody first layer 96 may be constructed, in an embodiment, similarly tothe catheter body in FIG. 3A (i.e., with a distal segment of a firstmaterial and a proximal segment of a second material). The traces 128may comprise electrically-conductive printed ink substantially asdescribed herein.

FIG. 10B is an isometric view of the catheter 126 in a second stage ofconstruction. Referring to FIGS. 10A and 10B, after the traces 128 a,128 b have been printed, electrodes 130 a, 130 b may be printed suchthat each electrode 130 a, 130 b is electrically coupled with arespective one of the traces 128 a, 128 b. Each electrode 130 may beprinted as a series of rings, as a continuous spiral, or otherwise in alongitudinally-segmented arrangement. The electrodes 130 may compriseelectrically-conductive ink, substantially as described herein. Afterthe electrodes 130 are printed, a second body layer 102 may be printed.The second body layer 102 may cover (i.e., be radially-outward of) thetraces 128, including the portions of the traces 128 longitudinallybetween segments of a given electrode 130. The second body layer 102 mayalso cover portions of the first body layer 96 not covered by theelectrodes 130. In an embodiment, the second body layer 102 may comprisea dielectric ink.

The catheter 126 may be preferred for a relatively more flexible distalend. The electrodes 130, by virtue of the longitudinal gaps betweensegments, may flex and bend with the catheter body more than would amore longitudinally-continuous electrode, such as the electrodes 90shown in FIGS. 7A-7F.

It should be understood that the features of the catheter embodiments24, 42, 62, 86, 106, 118, 126 described and illustrated herein are notmutually-exclusive. Instead, features from different embodiments may becombined as desired for a given application. For example, the ringelectrodes 90 of FIGS. 7A-7F may each extend about the entirecircumference of the catheter body 88, in an embodiment, by radiallylayering their respective traces 92 according to the scheme illustratedin FIG. 3B. In another example, the electrodes 120 of FIGS. 9A-9C may beprovided with the ribs 100 illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7F. Of course,numerous other combinations are possible and contemplated.

The aforementioned catheter embodiments 24, 42, 62, 86, 106, 118, 126may operate with a variety of catheter systems such as visualizationsystems, mapping systems, and navigation support and positioning systems(i.e., for determining a position and orientation (P&O) of a flexibleelongate member or other medical device). One such system is illustratedin FIG. 11.

FIG. 11 is a schematic and diagrammatic view of an embodiment of amedical device mapping and navigation system 140. The system 140 iscoupled with a catheter 142 that can be guided to and disposed in aportion of a body 143, such as a heart 145. The catheter 142 can includeone or more sensors 144 for, e.g., collecting electrophysiology data,applying ablation energy, and/or determining a location of the catheterwithin the body. The system may include, at least in part, an electroniccontrol unit (ECU) 146, a signal generator 148, a switch 150, a low-passfilter 152, an analog-to-digital (A-to-D) converter 154, a plurality ofbody surface electrode patches 156, and electrocardiogram (ECG) patches160.

The system 140 is provided for visualization, mapping, and/or navigationof internal body structures and may be referred to herein as “thenavigation system.” The navigation system 140 may comprise an electricfield-based system, such as, for example, an EnSite™ Velocity™ cardiacelectro-anatomic mapping system running a version of EnSite™ NavX™navigation and visualization technology software commercially availablefrom St. Jude Medical, Inc., of St. Paul, Minn. and as also seengenerally by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 7,263,397, or U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2007/0060833 A1, both hereby incorporated byreference in their entireties as though fully set forth herein. In otherexemplary embodiments, the navigation system 140 may comprise systemsother than electric field-based systems. For example, the navigationsystem may comprise a magnetic field-based system such as the Carto™system commercially available from Biosense Webster, and as generallyshown with reference to one or more of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,498,944;6,788,967; and 6,690,963, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entireties as though fully set forthherein. In another exemplary embodiment, the navigation system 140 maycomprise a magnetic field-based system based on the MediGuide™technology available from St. Jude Medical, Inc., and as generally shownwith reference to one or more of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,233,476; 7,197,354;and 7,386,339, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated byreference in their entireties as though fully set forth herein. In yetanother embodiment, the navigation system 140 may comprise a combinationelectric field-based and magnetic field-based system, such as, forexample and without limitation, the system described in pending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/231,284, or the Carto™ 3 systemcommercially available from Biosense Webster, and as generally shownwith reference to U.S. Pat. No. 7,536,218, the disclosures of which arehereby incorporated by reference in their entireties as though set fullyforth herein. In yet still other exemplary embodiments, the navigationsystem 140 may comprise or be used in conjunction with other commonlyavailable systems, such as, for example and without limitation,fluoroscopic, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)-based systems. For purposes of clarity and illustration only, thenavigation system 140 will be described hereinafter as comprising anelectric field-based system, such as, for example, the EnSite™ NavX™system identified above.

The catheter 142 and sensors 144 may be provided for a variety ofdiagnostic and therapeutic purposes including, for example,electrophysiological studies, pacing, cardiac mapping, and ablation. Inan embodiment, the catheter 142 can be an ablation catheter, mappingcatheter, or other elongate medical device. The number, shape,orientation, and purpose of the sensors 144 may vary in accordance withthe purpose of the catheter 142. In an embodiment, at least one sensor144 can be an electrode. For purposes of illustration, the descriptionbelow will be with respect to an embodiment in which the sensors 144comprise one or more electrodes, but the disclosure is not limited tosuch an embodiment.

The catheter 142 may comprise any catheter embodiment 24, 42, 62, 86,106, 118, 126 described herein, or another catheter including one ormore features illustrated and/or described herein. Accordingly, thesensor 144 may comprise a printed-ink electrode (such as one or more ofelectrodes 32, 34, 90, 112, 120, 130 and/or another electrode includingone or more features illustrated and/or described herein) and/or aprinted-ink force sensor (such as force sensor 66).

With the exception of the patch electrode 158 _(B) called a “bellypatch,” the patch electrodes 158 are provided to generate electricalsignals used, for example, in determining the position and orientationof the catheter 142 and in the guidance thereof. In one embodiment, thepatch electrodes 158 are placed generally orthogonally on the surface ofthe body and are used to create axes-specific electric fields within thebody. For instance, in one exemplary embodiment, patch electrodes 158_(X1), 158 _(X2) may be placed along a first (x) axis. Patch electrodes158 _(Y1), 158 _(Y2) may be placed along a second (y) axis, and patchelectrodes 158 _(Z1), 158 _(Z2) may be placed along a third (z) axis.Each of the patch electrodes 158 may be coupled to the multiplex switch150. In an exemplary embodiment, the ECU 146 is configured, throughappropriate software, to provide control signals to the multiplex switch150 to thereby sequentially couple pairs of electrodes 158 to the signalgenerator 148. Excitation of each pair of electrodes 158 (e.g., ineither orthogonal or non-orthogonal pairs) generates an electrical fieldwithin the patient's body 143 and within an area of interest such as theheart 145. Voltage levels at non-excited electrodes 158, which arereferenced to the belly patch 158 _(B), are filtered by low-pass filter152 and converted by A-to-D converter 154 and provided to the ECU 146for use as reference values.

As noted above, one or more electrodes 144 are mounted in or on thecatheter 142. In an exemplary embodiment, at least one of the electrodes144 comprises a positioning electrode and is configured to beelectrically coupled to the ECU 146. With a positioning electrode 144electrically coupled to the ECU 146, the electrode 144 is placed withinelectrical fields created in the body 143 (e.g., within the heart 145)by exciting the patch electrodes 158. The positioning electrode 144experiences voltages that are dependent on the position of thepositioning electrode 144 relative to the locations of the patchelectrodes 158. Voltage measurement comparisons made between theelectrode 144 and the patch electrodes 158 may be used to determine theposition of the positioning electrode 144 relative to the heart 145 orother tissue. Movement of the positioning electrode 144 proximate atissue (e.g., within a chamber of the heart 145) may produce informationregarding the geometry of the tissue. This information may be used, forexample, to generate models and maps of anatomical structures. Such mapsand models may reflect a particular state of the anatomical structuresuch as, for example, the shape of the heart 145 at a particular pointin the cardiac cycle. Position information determined according tomeasurements made with the electrode 144 may thus be associated with aparticular portion of the cardiac cycle based on readings from the ECGpatches 160. Information received from the positioning electrode 144 canalso be used to display on a display device, the location andorientation of the positioning electrode 144 and/or a portion of thecatheter 142 relative to the heart 145 or other tissue. Accordingly,among other things, the ECU 146 of the navigation system 140 may providea means for generating display signals used to control a display and thecreation of a graphical user interface (GUI) on the display.

The ECU 146 may comprise a programmable microprocessor ormicrocontroller, or may comprise an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC). The ECU 146 may include a an input/output (I/O)interface through which the ECU 146 may receive a plurality of inputsignals including, for example, signals generated by patch electrodes158 and the positioning electrode 144 (among others), and generate aplurality of output signals including, for example, those used tocontrol a display and other user interface components. The ECU 146 maybe configured to perform various functions with appropriate programminginstructions or code (i.e., software). Accordingly, the ECU 144 can beprogrammed with one or more computer programs encoded on acomputer-readable storage medium for performing functionality describedherein.

FIGS. 12A-12D show a plurality of exemplary non-orthogonal dipoles,designated D₀, D₁, D₂ and D₃. Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12A-12D, for anydesired axis, the potentials measured across an intra-cardiacpositioning electrode 144 resulting from a predetermined set of drive(source-sink) configurations may be combined algebraically to yield thesame effective potential as would be obtained by simply driving auniform current along the orthogonal axes. Any two of the surfaceelectrodes 158 may be selected as a dipole source and drain with respectto a ground reference, e.g., belly patch 158 _(B), while the unexcitedbody surface electrodes measure voltage with respect to the groundreference. The positioning electrode 144 placed in heart 145 is alsoexposed to the field from a current pulse and is measured with respectto ground, e.g., belly patch 158 _(B). In practice, a catheter ormultiple catheters within the heart may contain multiple positioningelectrodes 144 and each positioning electrode 144 potential may bemeasured separately.

Data sets from each of the patch electrodes and the positioningelectrode 144 are used to determine the location of the positioningelectrode 144 within heart 145. After the voltage measurements are made,a different pair of surface electrodes is excited by the current sourceand the voltage measurement process of the remaining patch electrodesand positioning electrode 144 takes place. The sequence occurs rapidly,e.g., on the order of 100 times per second, in an embodiment. To a firstapproximation the voltage on the positioning electrode 144 within theheart bears a linear relationship with position between the patchelectrodes that establish the field within the heart, as more fullydescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,263,397 referred to above.

In summary, FIG. 11 shows an exemplary navigation system 140 thatemploys seven body surface electrodes (patches), which may be used forinjecting current and sensing resultant voltages. Current may be drivenbetween two patches at any time; some of those driven currents areillustrated in FIGS. 12A-12D. Measurements may be performed between anon-driven patch and, for example, belly patch 158 _(B) as a groundreference. A patch bio-impedance, also referred to as a “patchimpedance” may be computed according to the following equation:

$\begin{matrix}{{{{BioZ}\left\lbrack c\rightarrow d \right\rbrack}\lbrack e\rbrack} = \frac{V_{e}}{I_{c\rightarrow d}}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

where V_(e) is the voltage measured on patch e and I_(c→d) is a knownconstant current driven between patches c and d, where patches c, d, ande may be any of the patch electrodes 158. The position of an electrodemay be determined by driving current between different sets of patchesand measuring one or more patch impedances along with the voltage on thepositioning electrode. In one embodiment, time division multiplexing maybe used to drive and measure all quantities of interest. Positiondetermining procedures are described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No.7,263,397 and publication no. 2007/0060833 referred to above, as well asother references.

Although a number of embodiments have been described above with acertain degree of particularity, those skilled in the art could makenumerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing fromthe spirit or scope of this disclosure. For example, all joinderreferences (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and the like) are to beconstrued broadly and may include intermediate members between aconnection of elements and relative movement between elements. As such,joinder references do not necessarily infer that two elements aredirectly connected and in fixed relation to each other. It is intendedthat all matter contained in the above description or shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and notlimiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departingfrom the spirit of this disclosure as defined in the appended claims.

Any patent, publication, or other disclosure material, in whole or inpart, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein isincorporated herein only to the extent that the incorporated materialsdoes not conflict with existing definitions, statements, or otherdisclosure material set forth in this disclosure. As such, and to theextent necessary, the disclosure as explicitly set forth hereinsupersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference.Any material, or portion thereof, that is said to be incorporated byreference herein, but which conflicts with existing definitions,statements, or other disclosure material set forth herein will only beincorporated to the extent that no conflict arises between thatincorporated material and the existing disclosure material.

1. (canceled)
 2. An elongate medical device comprising: an elongatetubular body defining a longitudinal axis; an electrode comprising anelectrically-conductive ink extending circumferentially about anexterior portion of the elongate tubular body; a trace comprisingelectrically-conductive ink electrically coupled with the electrode, thetrace extending longitudinally from the electrode; and a force sensorcomprising a semiconductive layer radially disposed between a firstelectrically-conductive layer and a second electrically-conductivelayer, the force sensor extending along a portion of the elongatetubular body.
 3. The elongate medical device of claim 2, wherein theforce sensor further comprises a first electrically insulative layerradially disposed outward of the first conductive layer.
 4. The elongatemedical device of claim 2, wherein a distal end portion of the elongatetubular body comprises a circular shape configured to curl about thelongitudinal axis.
 5. The elongate medical device of claim 2, furthercomprising: a plurality of electrodes, each electrode comprisingelectrically-conductive ink extending circumferentially about anexterior portion of the elongate tubular body; a plurality of traces,each comprising electrically-conductive ink, each trace electricallycoupled with a respective one of the plurality of electrodes, each traceextending longitudinally from the respective one of the plurality ofelectrodes; and a plurality of force sensors, each force sensorcomprising a semiconductive layer disposed radially between a firstconductive layer and a second conductive layer extending along a portionof the elongate tubular body.
 6. The elongate medical device of claim 5,wherein the plurality of force sensors and the plurality of electrodesare disposed in an alternating pattern along the length of the elongatetubular body.
 7. The elongate medical device of claim 2, wherein thesemiconductive layer further comprises semiconductive layer grid lines.8. The elongate medical device of claim 7, wherein at least one of thefirst electrically-conductive layer and the secondelectrically-conductive layer comprise conductive grid linescorresponding to the semiconductive layer grid lines.
 9. A force sensorfor an elongate medical device comprising: a firstelectrically-conductive grid layer and a second electrically-conductivegrid layer, wherein the first electrically-conductive grid layer and thesecond electrically-conductive grid layer includes grid lines, whereinone or more of the first electrically-conductive layer and the secondelectrically-conductive layer comprise conductive grid linescorresponding to the semiconductive layer grid lines; a semiconductivegrid layer disposed radially between the first electrically-conductivelayer and the second electrically-conductive layer, wherein thesemiconductive grid layer includes grid lines; and a first electricallyinsulative layer disposed radially outward of the firstelectrically-conductive grid layer.
 10. The force sensor of claim 9,further comprising a junction point where a grid line from the firstconductive grid layer crosses a grid line from the second conductivegrid layer forming a piezoelectric force sensor.
 11. The force sensor ofclaim 10, further comprising a plurality of force sensors.
 12. The forcesensor of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of junction pointsarranged in at least one of a plurality of rows and columns.
 13. Amethod for determining force from a plurality of force sensors disposedon an elongate medical device, comprising: evaluating at least one of aresistance at, a conductance at, or a test voltage through a firstplurality of force sensor junctions, wherein the force sensor junctionsof the first plurality of force sensor junctions are arranged in a gridcomprising at least one row of force sensor junctions, at least onecolumn of force sensor junctions, or at least one row and one column offorce sensor junctions; connecting a second plurality of force sensorjunctions in the grid of force junctions to ground, wherein the secondplurality of force sensors comprises a subset of the first plurality offorce sensor junctions; and using the results of the evaluating step todetermine a force from the plurality of force sensors on an elongatemedical device.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprisingdisplaying the determined force on a display.
 15. The method of claim13, further comprising communicating the determined force to a mappingand navigation system.
 16. A method for assessing contact force from aplurality of force sensors disposed on an elongate medical device,comprising: measuring one of a resistance and a conductance at aplurality of force sensor junctions comprising a first plurality offorce sensor junctions and a second plurality of force sensor junctions,wherein the first plurality of force sensor junctions are arranged in afirst row of a grid, and wherein the second plurality of force sensorjunctions are arranged in a second row of the grid, and wherein themeasuring step further comprises: driving a first test voltage throughthe first plurality of force sensor junctions, and grounding the secondplurality of force sensor junctions; and assessing the contact forcefrom the plurality of force sensors based on the measured resistance orconductance from the first plurality of force sensor junctions.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, wherein the measuring step further comprises drivinga second test voltage through the second plurality of force sensorjunctions, and grounding the first plurality of force sensor junctions,and wherein the assessing step further comprise assessing the contactforce from the plurality of force sensors based on the measuredresistance or conductance from the second plurality of force sensorjunctions.